FISITA CEO Chris Mason and CTO Martin Kahl reflect on the key highlights of 2024
Being at the heart of the technology of mobility means at FISITA, we’re always looking forward – but the end of the year allows us to reflect on what’s happened over the last 12 months.
Here are the key FISITA highlights from 2024:
EuroBrake 2024 took place over three days in Mainz, Germany, and featured expert panel discussions on topics of critical relevance, keynotes from influential engineers and engineering leaders, and technical sessions covering every important aspect of braking technology.
The 2024 edition of Intelligent Safety Conference China took place in September in Shanghai, with a focus on safety testing and evaluation, collaborative driving, cyber security, and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in autonomous driving safety.
The 2024 FISITA World Mobility Summit, held in November at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, ran under the theme, “To EV, or not to EV?”
The title, agenda, and speaker line-up of FISITA’s flagship strategy and leadership event were deliberately selected to ensure a technology-agnostic discussion on a topic that’s playing such a key role in the evolution of mobility and shaping the future of the automotive industry.
We published a preview article in the run-up to the event:
Thought Leadership: To EV, or not to EV? – FISITA
Read FISITA CEO Chris Mason’s thoughts on the 2024 FISITA World Mobility Summit here: FISITA World Mobility Summit 2024 by Chris Mason on LinkedIn
In 2024, FISITA also:
- Launched a new website designed to enhance user experience and improve access to information. This marks the first phase of ongoing digital improvements, with further updates and features planned for 2025.
- Launched FISITA Connect, the exclusive FISITA member platform designed to facilitate member networking and collaboration. Available to all employees of FISITA Corporate Member companies, FISITA Connect has been specifically tailored to enable users to build their profile, access the Database of Experts, join interactive discussion forums, and gain unrestricted access to the FISITA Library of technical papers, research materials, and industry reports.
- Repositioned Working Groups as Expert Groups, enhancing the initiative and adding monthly member presentations; follow this link to learn more about FISITA Expert Groups: Expert Groups – FISITA.
- Launched five new Expert Groups on Advanced Chassis Technology, Automated Driving, Circular Economy, Commercial Vehicles, and International Value Chains. For more information on these or any other Expert Groups, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].
- Updated the Technology of Mobility Ecosystem, the visualisation of the priority topics identified by FISITA Members. Everything in the FISITA technical portfolio aligns with the Technology of Mobility Ecosystem which is used to establish our international Expert Groups, publications, and events agendas. We recently published the Q4 2024 version of the Technology of Mobility Ecosystem, supported by a full list of next-up ‘hot topics’ and the Expert Groups in consideration for 2025 – and we welcome contributions to the ongoing evolution of the Technology of Mobility Ecosystem through the dedicated discussion forum on FISITA Connect.
- Appointed the first FISITA Ambassadors. FISITA’s Ambassador for China is Dr. Xiaozhi Liu, and Scott Craig is FISITA’s North American Ambassador; both will be fundamental in raising awareness of FISITA’s mission, increasing its profile, attracting participation, and recruiting new members within their respective regions.
- Took up the position of co-chair of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (UN ITU) working group on the use of next-generation vehicular communication for enhancing road safety. Two UN ITU working groups have been defined to support this initiative. The first, led by OICA, is working on future automated systems to ease highway merging situations. The second is led by FISITA, represented by Remi Bastien, and addresses the protection of vulnerable road users (the main priority of the FISITA Intelligent Safety Expert Group) using next-generation V2X technology to improve AEB systems.
- Welcomed 12 new corporate members: A2MAC1, Automotive Cells Company (ACC), AESC, Autoliv, Ballard, Dukosi, Hitachi Astemo, LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, SKon, StoreDot, Thatcham Research.
2024 has been a rollercoaster of a year, and I’d like to acknowledge the input of everyone who has been part of FISITA events and Expert Groups, and to everyone who has supported FISITA’s technical activities this year. Everything we do is member-led and it’s thanks to the engagement of FISITA members that we have been able to deliver the initiatives listed above.
What’s coming in 2025?
As I said at the top, at FISITA we’re all about looking to the future. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s happening in 2025:
- The biennial FISITA World Mobility Conference (WMC) will take place 3-5 June 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. You can find all the details here: World Mobility Conference (WMC) – FISITA.
- The call for papers is live, and runs until 13 January 2025; you can find details here.
- We’re also excited about the FISITA WMC Student Competition which gives students and young engineers from around the world the opportunity to demonstrate their skills by tackling real-world social and environmental challenges within the technology of mobility industry.
- The 2025 edition of EuroBrake will take place at the same time – you can find full details on the event website: Summary – EuroBrake 2025.
- The call for papers is open, and if you want to submit an abstract, the deadline is 13 January 2025; you can find details here.
There’s plenty more to come next year, and we look forward to sharing details with you nearer the time.
Here’s to 2025!